Project Acronym: TOMWPA
Project Summary
The manufacturing process of olive oil yields a black liquid waste called ‘olive mill wastewater’ (OMWW) causing a major environmental problem in Palestine. While OMWW contains plant nutrients such as organic matters and micronutrients including N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe, it can also result in the accumulation of salts and phytotoxic compounds in soil and can potentially contaminate surface and groundwater resources. Once it is properly treated, the OMWW can be a valuable source for irrigation. In the initial phase of the research, proper chemical and biological analyses were carried out. Besides, model calculations were made regarding the dynamic water balance, and scenario calculations were made on the use of treated wastewater in greenhouse horticulture. In a second phase, the treated water was used at pilot plant scale (10-20 Liters) as well as small-scale field experiments.
Research Objectives
Several methods were investigated for OMWW treatment such as wet flocculation/coagulation, centrifugation, and separation of liquid/solid phase but most of the published research dealt with anaerobic treatment. The major aim of this work was to find feasible methods for the safe management of OMWW at a pilot plant scale. The specific objectives were:
- Removing toxic compounds in OMWW using an integrated system by applying physical, chemical, and biological methods
- Providing suitable future handling procedures for olive mill owners
- Recovering waters from OMWW in greenhouse agriculture
- Recovering useful fertilizers (fertigation water) from OMWW
- Feasibility study of the proposed process
Project Team
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Name : Mazen Salman University : Palestine Technical University- Kadoorie Email : salman_mazen@daad-alumni.de |
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Name : Mahmoud Rahil Organization : Palestine Technical University- Kadoorie Email : mrahail@yahoo.com |
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Name : Nabil Shahin Organization : Palestine Technical University- Kadoorie Email : nabilshahin@hotmail.de |
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Name : Hikmat Hilal Organization : An Najah National University Email : hshilal@najah.edu |
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Name : Ahed Zyoud Organization : An Najah National University Email : ahedzyoud@najah.edu |
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Name : Wim Voogt Organization : Wageningen University (WU) Email : wim.voogt@wur.nl |
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Name : Ruba Abuamsha Organization : National Agriculture Research Center (NARC) Email : ruba_salman@yahoo.com |
Research Deliverables and Outcomes:
Research Category:
Research Summary :
The manufacturing process of olive oil yields a black liquid waste called ‘olive mill wastewater’ (OMWW) causing a major environmental problem in Palestine. While OMWW contains plant nutrients such as organic matters and micronutrients, it can also lead to/result in the accumulation of salts and phytotoxic compounds in soil and can potentially contaminate surface and groundwater resources. Once it is properly treated, the water will be a valuable source for irrigation. In the initial phase of the research, proper chemical and biological analyses were carried out.